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In this video, while it’s not a tutorial, this is a review for tools I’d recommend having around the house. With any of my product reviews, I only support items that I believe are well made and worth the money. I will not review bad products as I do not want to get involved in any legal issues with companies.
For this, I have a 6 gallon or 22.7L Bostitch pancake air compressor which I purchased about 2 years ago so it’s had plenty of use. This comes as a kit with a nail gun, however, I will only be reviewing the compressor as I haven’t had much use with the nailer. Its dimensions are about 16 in diameter and 18 in height. Its weight is 29lbs so it’s very manageable for most people.
As you can see we have Bostitch’s typically black and yellow color scheme. The tank has a painted finish while the cover on top is black plastic. Overall the construction does appear to be very rigid, the regulator is located in the front while I’ll explain a little more in a moment. We have the handle at the top, an on/off rocker switch towards the top, 5 feet of cord where it has a spot to wrap around and 3 feet which allows for self-leveling with soft rubber pads.
It’s listed as an oil-free compressor, therefore there’s no need for maintenance. I did manage to find a parts breakdown of the unit and it also features a single-piston pump. It’s set up to shut off at 150psi, has a 2.6 scfm rating at 90psi.
We originally needed something to operate an air nailer inside the house and didn’t want to drag the larger compressor around inside the house. We also wanted something that was relatively quiet for an air compressor. Air compressors naturally aren’t very quiet, however for this style of compressor and the price range, it has one of the lowest ratings at 78.5 dBA. When doing the 10ft x 6ft section of tongue and groove pine ceiling, it only uses about half the tank capacity, so it was easy enough to have it pump up outside, then bring it in the house for work.
It already comes pre-installed with two industrial style quick disconnect fittings, also known at the Milton M style. Both of these ports are regulated and that’s controlled by the one dial on the front.
Being that is pumps up to a higher pressure, there is more chance of moisture being present in that air. Even more so considering I live in a higher humidity climate. There is a drain on the side of the tank and you’ll need to make sure this type of maintenance is done once in a while. Pump the tank up, then open the valve and tilt the air compressor so the drain is facing down where the water can flow out. Leaving moisture in the tank can cause the tank to internally rust, jeopardizing the structure and this can also cause added wear on any air tools.
Overall I’m quite happy with this purchase. So far it’s held up extremely well to tasks around the house, I’ve used it for cleaning small engine carburetors, interior cleaning of cars, automotive repairs, running the air nailers, pumping up tires, etc. I do find if a full-sized truck tire is completely flat, a large volume of air is required so if you’re working with more than one tire, it does require to be pumped up more often. If you’re using air tools that are more of a direct air loss, requiring more volume such as an air drill or impact, then this compressor will have a hard time keeping up. Lightweight, easily portable, doesn’t take long to pump up and doesn’t take much room when storing so it’s this a great option for those shopping for a compact air compressor.
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